It’s a good-for-you variation on the classic Peach Melba combination of peaches and raspberries topped with ice cream. I promise: You will not miss the ice cream. This dish doesn’t need anything else. (OK, life is short: A scoop of vanilla ice cream on this while it’s warm will put you over the Moon.)

And when I saw that fresh peaches were going for $.99 per pound, there was no question of what I was going to do with them.

I bought 3 pounds (more than I needed, but they looked so luscious), a lemon, and a package of frozen raspberries and dashed to my kitchen. (Why frozen raspberries, you wonder? I prefer to use frozen raspberries for cooking and to eat the fresh.

I have made this a few times, always reducing the butter in the topping by a bit. (I don’t do this to trade the butter calories for the ice cream calories, but that’s an idea!)

This time, I used 2 tablespoons of butter, not the recommended 4 tablespoons, and could not tell the difference in taste. There was, however, a slight difference in texture. Here’s why: In the interest of time, I put all of the topping ingredients into the processor, as suggested. As a result, most of the oat flakes (and everything else under the blade) took on a powdery consistency. So while the topping lacked pieces to bite into, it retained the flavor and benefits of the ingredients. If I had worked the topping with my fingers, even with the reduced amount of butter, there would have been more crunch, especially from the oatmeal.

That’s a small point, especially if you’re short on time. The important thing is that you keep an eye out for fresh peaches.

Then try this and tell me what you think of it—with or without ice cream.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9x9-inch baking pan and set aside.

For fruit: Mix the peaches, raspberries, honey, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the flour and mix lightly. Turn the ingredients into the prepared pan. Set aside.

For topping: Combine the flour, oats, oat bran, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub it with your fingers until you have uniform, gravel-like crumbs. (This can also be done in the food processor. Pulse until you have uniform crumbs; don’t let the mixture turn clumpy.) Spread the mixture evenly over the fruit and bake for about 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the juices bubble thickly. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

~ By Janice Stillman

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Here at the Almanac, we love to cook, bake, grill, roast, and eat! We show you how to make some delicious recipes.